The benefits of a wheat free diet

My name is Robyn Powell, I am the colon hydrotherapist at Lilliput Health.

I decided over the weekend to see how my body would react to white wheat based products. My normal diet is high in vegetables with nuts, seeds, lean protein and fruits. I do eat some spelt and buckwheat but generally try to maintain a wheat free diet. I gym a minimum of 5 times per week and have a caffeine free diet. I am able to go to the bathroom 2- 3 times per day without any problem.

Many clients come in to see me and say how awful they feel particularly when they eat wheat based products such as bread, pasta and cakes etc. I decided to see how my body would react to re-introducing these food types over the course of a weekend.

So here is my confession; I ate croissants, white bread, chocolate bars with wheat in and wraps. I can’t deny for a moment that when food was in my mouth I really enjoyed eating the things I normally don’t allow myself to eat, but within 30 minutes I felt awful. My stomach began distending, I felt sleepy, my mood changed and shortly after, I craved caffeine and sugar. I then spent the rest of the afternoon and evening trying to eat everything within sight. The following day I had more and felt so rubbish within myself, I felt unsociable, tired and my stomach was a lovely balloon shape! I decided I didn’t have enough energy to go to the gym so put some loose trousers on instead and sat on the couch. Think of all those calories I consumed and they have just piled on me!

I know not everyone wants to know my business but toilet wise things were less frequent and bigger than normal, I also had a lot of trapped air inside. I was really good over the weekend with my hydration drinking water, herbal teas, hot water and lemon and coconut water. I think if I hadn’t stayed on top of my hydration I would have had even worse problems in this department.

I can honestly say for me this really was not a pleasant experience and I am not rushing to buy any wheat based products any time soon. If you can empathise with how I felt, I would urge you to try a wheat free diet maybe for a week and see how you feel. Good quality grains can be a valuable source of fibre for the health of the digestive tract, but are not a necessity. Having a wheat free diet isn’t easy and it takes planning but I can honestly say it is worth it.

Some patients find wheat very easy to digest and that is fantastic, but I do not so will be having a colonic very soon to get rid of the bloated stomach I currently have and help reduce down any left over cravings. If you are concerned you have a food intolerance you can contact your GP, our nutritionist Carolyn Leigh here at Lilliput Health or contact a homeopath.

The above account is just based on my personal findings and not everyone reacts the same way.